Just days after a pest control company branded Los Angeles the nation’s “rattiest” major city, health officials delivered another blow this morning, announcing 61 rabid bats had been found so far in 2025, the second-highest total ever recorded in the county.

The total is the most since 2021, when 68 rabid bats were confirmed, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Health, which said the numbers are in keeping with a “decade-long upward trend.”

About 14% of bats who come into contact with people or pets in the county test positive for rabies , and the numbers spike in late summer, officials said.

“Bats are vital to our environment, but they can also carry rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once symptoms appear,” Los Angeles County Health Officer Dr. Muntu Davis

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